To require the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to conduct time use surveys of unremunerated work performed in the United States and to calculate the monetary value of such work.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 26, 1995

Miss COLLINS of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities

A BILL

To require the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to conduct time use surveys of unremunerated work performed in the United States and to calculate the monetary value of such work.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Unremunerated Work Act’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) Women perform 2/3 of the work in the world relating to the production of goods and services.

(2) The United Nations General Assembly in 1985 adopted a resolution which included part of the Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, which states that ‘the remunerated and, in particular, the unremunerated contributions of women to all aspects and sectors of development should be recognized, and appropriate efforts should be made to measure and reflect these contributions in national accounts and economic statistics and in the gross national product’.

(3) The resolution also states that ‘concrete steps should be taken to quantify the unremunerated contribution of women to agriculture, food production, reproduction, and household activities’.

(4) The unremunerated contribution by women to the economy of the United States should be recognized.

SEC. 3. CALCULATION OF MONETARY VALUE OF UNREMUNERATED WORK.

(a) TIME USE SURVEYS OF UNREMUNERATED WORK- The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics shall periodically conduct time use surveys of unremunerated work performed in the United States, including household work, work related to child care and other care services, agricultural work, work related to food production, work related to family businesses, and volunteer work.

(b) MONETARY VALUE OF UNREMUNERATED WORK- On the basis of the time use surveys of unremunerated work conducted under subsection (a), the Commissioner shall calculate the monetary value of such unremunerated work. Separate monetary values shall be calculated for men and women.

(c) INCLUSION IN GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT- Beginning three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the monetary value of the unremunerated work calculated pursuant to subsection (b) shall be included in statistics used to determine the annual gross national product of the United States.

(d) METHOD OF CALCULATION- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall submit a report to the Congress describing the method by which the Commissioner will conduct time use surveys of unremunerated work performed in the United States and calculate the monetary value of such unremunerated work.